Tanya insisted that she was not much of a cook, blaming her mother, who she described as the only Greek woman in South Africa who fed her family with take-out every night. But there were signs Tanya knew her way around her tiny, Dupont Circle kitchen: the dozen cookbooks on her bookshelf; the heavy duty, cast iron cookware from Le Creuset; and the photo album of her dinner at El Bulli, the Barcelona monument to "molecular gastronomy," open only 7 months a year, with reservations accepted just one day a year.
Not surprisingly, the "peasant food" Tanya served up was fantastic. Greek salad, accented by feta and multicolored grape tomatoes. Orzo and lamb stew. And a Greek take on eggplant parmigiana.
Dessert was somewhat less creative and significantly less authentic, but no less tasty.
